At first sight, the above statement looks quite contrary to the usual belief. But to a great extent this is true. This contradicts the general belief that staying hungry and ‘dieting’ can give results, which no other plan of weight reduction can. As I proceed, I will explain how staying hungry can be quite harmful, not only for your physical self but also for your body organs.
At the outset, let me explain that the body classifies food products into mainly 3 components. They are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates are mainly to provide instant energy and are stored in relatively less quantities in the liver. Fats on the other hand liberate more energy and hence are used for prolonged activities. These are stored at various sites. Besides being stored under the skin, they are also stored in the muscles and in the region of the organs such as liver. The subcutaneous fat, i.e. the fat under your skin is mobilized as fuel for your muscles.
Proteins are the third main group and are basically the building blocks of your body. These are utilized as fuel only during times when all other possible sources of energy have been exhausted.
Now that this aspect of your body functioning is clear, let us consider an individual who is starving himself or in other words, ‘dieting’ to lose the excess weight. By employing the knowledge of the body’s functions, we can safely assume that when the intake of food is reduced drastically, the body goes into a survival mode, if it may be called so, in order to preserve as much energy as it can. This is an adaptive mechanism, which we have learned during the process of evolution.
Thus, if you were to start dieting, your body would also begin to store up more of glycogen by decreasing your body functions and thus result in more weight gain. Thus, weight loss can only occur when you perform activities such as exercises over a long duration of time consistently.